What 181 owners told NHTSA about the 2022 Kia Sorento Plug-in Hybrid

My 2022 Kia Sorento has 18K miles on it and in Feb 2024 the first incident of this issue occurred. I will be accelerating or driving through traffic (coming on and off the gas), the car will lurch several times, and then the gas pedal will stop working and the car loses all acceleration. No engine light or warning comes on. The car remains on, but it won't accelerate. I have to restart the car one or more times to get the acceleration to reengage. Since Feb 2024 it has happened 4 times, most recently on May 7, 2024. On these occasions I was driving 5-10mph, 30mph, 40mph, and once at 60mph. I have had all other required maintenance performed, checks performed, etc. I have taken it to the dealer where I leased the vehicle twice. They have not been able to replicate the issue. I'm not sure what this means, "is it available for inspection upon request" but if someone wanted to inspect it, absolutely it's available.  The car completely stops accelerating, foot to the floor on the gas pedal and no acceleration happens. This happened to me on 4 separate occasions at 5-10mph, 30mph, 40mph, and once at 60mph at exactly the busiest and heavily trafficked highway in my area that has accidents on a daily basis. It's extremely dangerous.  I have taken the car in twice, am scheduled for a third visit. They've kept it for multiple days both times and haven't been able to replicate the issue.  The vehicle/component has NOT been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others There were no other warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure. The engine light does not come on. No other warning signs of symptoms before this started happening or before each failure. The first issue happened on Feb 6, 2024, then again on March 22, 2024, then again on March 23, 2024, then again on May 7, 2024.

NHTSA ODI 11587602

I was driving on the highway when my car suddenly lost all power. I tried to brake, but the pedal went straight to the floor several times with no pressure. The car finally slowed down, and I believe the ABS kicked in, causing a jerky stop. I managed to pull over, but the engine was barely idling and seemed on the verge of stalling. This was a very dangerous situation. Not only did losing power on the highway put me at risk, but I also had to wait on the side of the road at night in the rain with traffic whizzing by. When I initially checked for the problem, I noticed a strong smell of gasoline and exhaust fumes, with no other indications of failure. Check engine light is now on, and there was a warning failure but i can not recall what it said.

NHTSA ODI 11582501

The car just randomly turns off mid drive, several times a week. Even in drive the engine turns off and says I need to put it in park and return on the whole car, very unsafe.

NHTSA ODI 11580119

While driving, all lights on the dash will light up and the gas pedal loses power. The only way to move the car to the side of the road out of danger is by coasting to the shoulder which can be very unsafe on the interstate. The car remains running with no power until it is cut off and turned back on. This has happened four times with the dealership being unable to specifically identify and fix the problem.

NHTSA ODI 11569924

I recently got this vehicle and only has 26k miles on it. I have always been a good driver and have taken care of this vehicle, but this vehicle has brought too much stress in my life recently. Keeps breaking down, and i have to repeatedly go to the service center. My value for time is gone. The service team are not welcoming and they never give you a replacement car. Not everyone has a replacement car for when it will break down. It messed up with all of my schedule, my family's schedule, kid not being able to go to school. Me not being able to go to work. Today i had to take my car to service again, second time. Last time i had to book a rental car from my own pocket for 2 whole week. And it broke down again today, i have no car and it has been a worst experience. KIA needs to do something about this. I will never be a KIA customer again in my life. KIA has a worst engine and worst customer service.

NHTSA ODI 11567821

The contact owns a 2022 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that while driving at 40 MPH and approaching a stop light, the contact heard an abnormal clinking sound, the vehicle lost motive power and the vehicle decelerated independently. The vehicle was driven to the residence. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to exceed 25 MPH. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with a failed propeller shaft drive shaft boot. The contact was informed that the propeller shaft drive shaft boot needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was filed. The failure mileage was approximately 21,016.

NHTSA ODI 11559755

Engine shaking P03400

NHTSA ODI 11556353

My car lost power & completely shut down at 70 mph on the highway. My dash lights went place & I had no control of vehicle other than to go straight & come to a rolling stop. It has shut off repeatedly while driving

NHTSA ODI 11553282

What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? Engine Control System - yes, it is. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? Check engine light came on, the car start shaking really hard, and there was a loss of power. Kia has said the car isn't safe to drive. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? No, not yet. Kia dealers are saying it'll be 3-4 months before they can inspect it to figure out what is wrong. Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? The check engine light came on at the time the failure occurred. Codes are P219FF and P030400 both are tied to the Powertrain.

NHTSA ODI 11550880

The contact owns a 2022 Kia Sorento. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed and depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle hesitated to accelerate. Upon inspecting the vehicle, the contact noticed that the oil level was low and added oil to the vehicle; however, the oil leaked onto the engine compartment and onto the ground. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the oil pan was replaced; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer, where it was determined that oil was leaking from the rear main seal. The contact was informed that the rear main seal needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 50,000.

NHTSA ODI 11549325

I was driving on the highway last night again and my 2022 Kia Sorento SX Prestige AWD lost engine power and the check engine light immediately came on. The truck would intensely vibrate when I tried to push the gas to get over to the highway shoulder. This was extremely unsafe on a highway but I was able to pull over to the shoulder and stop the car and turn it off. When I turned it on, the check engine light remains on and vibrations persist. Even after waiting and multiple restarts. This was the fourth event of this engine issue in the past 6 months. With the same engine power loss and crazy vibrations. The three previous times, the engine light goes off after the first restart and truck drives normal. I even brought it into the dealer and they used the engine diagnostic device that showed no code so they say there’s nothing they can do. But now it’s the following morning, engine light remains on and car is shaking still. I have recordings of this event now bc Napleton Kia of Elmhurst is not believing me. As a traveling healthcare worker, my vehicle is my primary resource. The truck barely has 17k miles on it and all maintenance and care is on point. To shell out over $60k for a ‘top of the line’ SUV that could’ve just ended my life on the expressway is extremely terrifying and disappointing. I urge the NHTSA to please look into these engine issues before someone’s life is ended because of it.

NHTSA ODI 11547494

I was driving the vehicle on a highway when the car shut off. No electrical or steering. It was very difficult to get the vehicle safely off the highway. Before the vehicle shut off there was an alarm and a message on the control panel to shift to neutral and restart the car. There were 2 incidents before this one. Both didn't have an alarm. The vehicle shut off with no warning.

NHTSA ODI 11539970

This is the second occurrence of this issue. Suddenly all warning lights appear and the car loses power. When press the accelerator there is no revs increase and the engine misfires. I photographed the dashboard and will try to attach. The car becomes impossible to drive and my wife is scared to use it. Luckily in both cases I have been able to stop in a safe area. Switching off and restarting the engine a couple of times re-established normal engine running the issue but left the ECU warning light on.

NHTSA ODI 11535072

Driving along, slow down and signal to make a right hand turn. Start the turn and all dash lights illuminate and engine dies, coasting through the damn intersection. 2nd time this happened. No check engine light, no codes……wtf KIA?

NHTSA ODI 11534468

The Sorento went in for three recalls on 1/24/2023 at 6970 miles. These were tow hitch recall ( no tow hitch on the vehicle) . SC250 8 speed electrical oil pump and SC252 B HECU inspection. One week later , (and after approx. 35 miles) , while driving all warning lights started flashing and the engine lost power. Luckily I was in an area where I could stop and when the car was in neutral with all lights warning still flashing the engine ran irregularly between 1000 and 1500 revs. When I tried to put in back in gear and drive it just limped at a about 5 miles per hour and when you depressed the accelerator nothing happened. I switched car off and waited 10 seconds and restarted it. This time the malfunction indicator lamp (MIL) stayed on. I then switched it off again and waited 30 minutes. This time all lights went out and the engine operated normally. I immediately phone the dealer who did the recalls and who then examined the car. The error codes they found were P065312 (engine) C1161386 Brake) C136081 C174181 C161381 (Front Radar) C161386 C164286 (Front View camera) C169381111111 (Rear corner radar). They redid the SC 250 update and test drove the vehicle to see if the problem reoccurred. It did not and the vehicle was returned to me on 2/3/2023. With the sudden loss in engine power this could have been very serious had it happened on an expressway. My wife is now too scared to drive the vehicle. I did phone KIA Customer service to report the issue and their file number is 15300218

NHTSA ODI 11505505

Dear. NHTSA Good morning, Yesterday I filed a complaint regarding 2022 Kia Sorento Car Problems regarding recall issues. This morning, I received a response from NHTSA saying that NHTSA cannot help with this matter. My complaint is about serious car issues which concernts 2 recall issues. Kia America took my car for repair on 12/20/22 and today is 01/27/23 Until today, Kia American is not responding about my car. Kindly re-review my complaint and help advise. My case information is as below. Request #[XXX] Re: Kia Customer Care Case#[XXX] Thank you for your help. Best regards, [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ODI 11503971

Dear. NHTSA I owned a 2022 Kia Sorento and my vehicle had serious issues. I have attached Complaint Letter as a PDF file. Kindly review and advise your help. Thank you so much. Best regards, [XXX] [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ODI 11503798

The contact owns a 2022 Kia Sorento. The contact stated while driving 50 MPH, the vehicle stalled inadvertently. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact was able to veer to the side of the road. The contact was able to restart the vehicle and continued driving. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where an unknown software update was completed; however, the failure reoccurred while driving 20 MPH. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer where the same software update was completed; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact later received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V760000 (Power Train), which she related to the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and a case was filed. The failure mileage was unknown.

NHTSA ODI 11499163

Around 9:45 on December 29 my check engine light came on stating I had a powertrain issue for the engine control system. This car is only 5 1/2 months old since I bought it. I do all my maintenance get it checked. And they always tell me my SUV is in great condition. Well yesterday. December 30 at about 12:40 PM my car did not want to maintain engine power. What I mean by this is when I try to turn my car on it started shaking and you heard the engine dying out. My battery was perfect all the lights radio and Bluetooth connected just fine And at that point my car did not function. I am a very cautious driver. I believe that this is a malfunction. There are many people who have made the same complaint about the powertrain and their engine for a 2022 Kia Sorrento and have had this issue within the first year of purchasing the car . The whole purpose of purchasing a brand new car is not to have these issues within the first five years. This is ridiculous and I don't think he is taking it serious. They are having many of these issues regarding the engine and powertrain of the engine system control. I got my car towed by Kia to the local dealership in Naperville and they have not looked over my car nor have they offered me a loaner. I am a healthcare worker and do not have a time to takeoff of work and do not have an extra car, I want Kia to fix this issue or replace my car because there is no way that my car should be having this issue within the first six months.

NHTSA ODI 11495698

Transmission will not shift or rev to high for next gear then will drop back to correct rpm an shift. Car will stall out or not shift.Problem has been duplicated at dealer. Was at dealership with no correction available at time KIA Engr. advised no call back. Engine light stayed on would not reset at all dealer plus was told transmission replacements is only correction .Car had10K on it less then year.

NHTSA ODI 11492502

My inverter radiator was punctured by road debris while driving down a highway and caused the coolant to leak out of the radiator. I received a "Refill inverter coolant" service warning then "Service Hybrid System Immediately Stop Safely" service warning and had to pull the car onto the shoulder. I called KIA roadside assistance to have my car towed to the KIA dealership and was informed the following day (9/2/22) of the damage. Unfortunately, this damage was not covered under warranty because it was external damage. However, due to the design of the front grill, debris is easily able to pass through the grill and strike the radiator because the grill has large spaces for debris to pass through and the inverter radiator sits directly behind the grill. THIS IS A DESIGN OF MANUFACTURING ISSUE and should be recalled and covered under warranty.

NHTSA ODI 11483518

On 06/29/2022 brand new vehicle with 775 miles had a transmission failure warning appear on the dashboard. "Transmission system error! Check transmission oil immediately!" vehicle became sluggish and had to turn on hazards to crawl it back home. Brought to local dealership and they could not see any error codes or replicate the problem and gave us back the vehicle. On 07/01/2022 with 865 miles the error message re-appeared with engine performing sluggishly - turned on hazards drove it into dealership so they can see and try to identify problem. After researching online, several Kia Sorrento's are encountering the same error and transmission failures with less than 2,000 miles. Kia is failing to identify and remedy the issue nationally.

NHTSA ODI 11471967

Vehicle at a red light and complete stop would not respond when i tried to accelerate. I turned car off and tried turning back on and it wasn't until a couple minutes later that car then turned back on. Dealership unable to identify problem and it happened again 2 months later with my 1 year old in the car. This time it happened while on the highway that car would not accelerate putting my 1 year old and myself in danger. Dealership again says it sees nothing wrong with the car and is charging me to test the fuel. Sounds like KIA has a problem on their hands that they should address before a terrible accident happens.

NHTSA ODI 11470226

While driving at highway speed the vehicle lost power and all warning lights on the dash came on. Fortunately the traffic was light and I was able to get off the highway. It was early Sunday morning but if I had been in heavy traffic or construction it could have been much worse. The vehicle died and wouldn't start again. The vehicle repeated this 3 other times. It went to three separate dealerships for repair but none could find a problem. They saw all the codes for past problems but nothing was current so couldn't be diagnosed. Twice it wouldn't start in the morning. Once it died while idling. The dealership said the solution was to wait a few hours to see if it would reset. Kia was incapable of fixing the problem or even helping with my expenses. The car was only a few weeks old.

NHTSA ODI 11467910

Suddenly, my vehicle Kia Sorento Ex AWD X-LINE lost power while exiting a NY Highway. I and my partner And possibly other drivers on the road could have been seriously injured if there were cars behind us. Possibly, we could have lost our lives if malfunction occured while driving on the Highway. Turned Engine Off, then turned it back on and the care moved ok. Few days later, I drove locally and Lost Power......keeping on pressing the gas pedal finally allowed the care to continue normally. This situation happened Two (2) times. The Vehicle was on the 'Smart' setting'. There was no warning lamps, messages or other symptoms. Dealer drove, checked and scanned car for Codes and reported None was found. I'm very concerned that my car would suddenly loose power while I'm on a highway. Reported incident to Kia Corporate Customer Service today (https://1stbestservice.com/submit-complaint/).

NHTSA ODI 11467744